


The Buffy Drabble Files

by badly_knitted



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Angst, Drabble Collection, Episode: s03e20 The Prom, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-21 20:52:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 46
Words: 8,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14922644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badly_knitted/pseuds/badly_knitted
Summary: A collection of drabbles set throughout all series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. All characters will probably appear at some point. Mostly canon based with canon pairings, but anything's possible.





	1. Difficult Decision

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go again! This is where I'll collect all my future Buffy drabbles. I don't expect it to be updated as frequently as my other drabble collections, but we'll see how things go.

It wasn’t working, this halfway thing, not for Angel, and he suspected, not really for Buffy either. They could see each other, patrol together, hold hands, train together, even kiss, as long as they didn’t let themselves get carried away, but that was it and it wasn’t enough.

They both wanted more, to experience the heights of passion they’d briefly known on that fateful night so many months ago, but it just wasn’t possible. They could hardly have Willow waiting in the wings every time to curse him again, and nothing short of that would ensure he didn’t revert to the soulless Angelus. One instant of pure happiness… It wasn’t fair, yet he couldn’t honestly say it was unjust. He didn’t deserve that depth of happiness; he deserved to suffer.

But Buffy didn’t.

She’d done nothing wrong, unless you counted falling in love with a vampire, which although not the wisest thing she’d ever done, was still hardly a crime deserving of punishment.

No, if they couldn’t have everything they wanted from each other, best they should have nothing. It would hurt them both less in the long run if they made a clean break and ended this bittersweet torture.

The End


	2. The Only One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buffy looks like any other girl, but she’s not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 9: The Mirror Lies at drabblesoup.
> 
> **Setting:** Early in Season One.
> 
> 100 words first try!

Standing in her bedroom, Buffy stares at her reflection in the mirror. The girl staring back at her looks just like any other Californian teenager, a pretty enough face, blonde hair, decent figure, neither too thin nor too fat; fairly average if she’s brutally honest with herself. She’ll never be tall and willowy, that’s not in her genes; she’s destined always to be petite. Could be worse; at least she doesn’t have bad acne.

The mirror is a liar though, because she’s not like any other teen, or any other person. She’s the Slayer, the only one in the world.

The End


	3. Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angel knows even without seeing exactly when it’s safe for him to go outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 11: Twilight at drabblesoup.
> 
> **Setting:** Somewhere in Season Three.

Angel prowls the mansion restlessly. Even though he can’t see it, he can feel the sun slowly inching its way below the horizon. It’s like a leaden weight gradually being lifted off him.

Soon, the harsh, deadly glare of sunlight will be replaced by the cool, soothing dimness of twilight, and it will be safe for him to venture outside. He’s a vampire; he doesn’t need to breathe yet the interior of the mansion seems suffocatingly airless. He needs to feel the cool night air tingling against his skin.

By day, he’s a prisoner, but the night sets him free.

The End


	4. Temptation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angel is faced with temptation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 12: Red As Blood at drabblesoup.
> 
> **Setting:** The first half of Season Two.

There’s nothing so red as spilled blood. The rich copper scent of it hangs heavy on the air, making the demon that resides beside Angel’s soul stir, whispering at the back of his mind: ‘Go ahead, taste it; what harm could one little taste do?’

Human blood, something Angel hasn’t allowed himself the smallest sip of since he regained his soul, and there’s so much of it, soaking into the ground, wasted, but he won’t kneel to lap it like a dog, he still has some pride, and he won’t drink from the victim.

The demon inside him rages, powerless.

The End


	5. Unexpected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He’s the last person Buffy expected to walk into her workplace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 97: A Chance Encounter at drabble_weekly.
> 
>  **Setting:** As You Were.
> 
> Double drabble.

You never know who you might run into when you’re going about your day-to-day life. Sometimes the meeting is a pleasant surprise, an opportunity to catch up with an old friend you haven’t seen in a while, but other times, there you are, just minding your own business and then there they are, the last person in the world you needed to see, bringing back all the old feelings; your ex.

Buffy’s trying, really trying, to be the properly perky service person behind the counter at the Double Meat Palace, all cheerful smile and ‘How may I help you?’ When she sees who’s standing in front of her though, she grinds to a halt and her brain seizes up. It’s just so… unexpected, like something out of a dream.

It’s also work-related, her other work, the kind that doesn’t involve serving burgers. That’s fine with Buffy; slaying demons takes precedence, and this is Riley! Of course she’s going to drop everything to help him.

It’s almost like old times at first, battling demons together. It’s good, and Buffy allows herself to start thinking maybe they could get back together.

That hope doesn’t last; Riley’s married. 

She didn’t see that coming.

The End


	6. Party Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oz’s first date with Willow is to Buffy’s seventeenth birthday party…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 6: Celebration at drabblesoup.
> 
> Double drabble.

Buffy’s friends are throwing a surprise party for her seventeenth birthday. That’s reason enough for a celebration in anyone’s book, not quite eighteen, but still pretty close.

That’s not why Oz is in celebratory mood however. He’s not much into parties unless the band he’s in is providing the entertainment, but he’ll make an exception this time because he gets to be Willow’s plus one, as in her date, which is pretty much awesome.

He doesn’t know the guys Willow hangs out with all that well, but the parties they throw are definitely different. The guest of honour enters through a plate glass window along with some gatecrasher guy, who Buffy pokes with a drumstick, making him turn to dust, which is way cool. Oz is impressed, and perhaps a little surprised, but too cool to show it. Still, everyone else is taking it in stride; he feels a bit out of the loop.

“Did everybody see that guy just turn to dust?”

Turns out vampires are real, and a lot of them hang out in Sunnydale… Anyone else might find that disconcerting, but not Oz. 

“Actually, it explains a lot.”

As first dates go, this one’s a real eye-opener.

The End


	7. All Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slayers don’t get to take vacations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge #47: Holiday/Vacation at drabble_weekly.
> 
> **Setting:** Between seasons one and two.

Being the Slayer means Buffy doesn’t get vacations; even during summer break she still has a job to do. She can’t afford to shirk her responsibilities because if she does, all Hell could break loose, and she means that literally. Vampires and demons aren’t big on kicking back and relaxing. 

Spending a few weeks with her dad makes no difference; she talks to Giles every day, and patrols every night. Same old same old, just a different location. So much for hanging with friends and having fun. Vamps just love L.A. 

On the other hand, at least she’s not bored.

The End


	8. Second Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Standing among the ruins of her old school, Buffy thinks back over all the time she spent in the Sunnydale High library.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written or Challenge 1: Library at sunnydalescribe.
> 
> **Setting:** From Welcome to the Hellmouth through to the end of Season 3.
> 
> Double drabble.

Entering the library her first day at Sunnydale High, Buffy had expected to be in and out in a few minutes, with the textbooks she’d need for her classes. She’d never imagined she’d meet her new watcher there and be dragged right back into her duties as the Slayer, but that was exactly what had happened. 

Initially she’d hated the place because of that, but over time it had become her second home, the place she ran to when she needed help making sense of her chaotic life, or information on the latest Big Bad to come calling.

She grew up amongst Giles’ musty old books, came to see her watcher as a valued and trusted friend instead of regarding him as the destroyer of her chance at a normal life. While nobody who knew her would have ever imagined a library as being her natural habitat, she’d made countless memories there.

Now it was gone, destroyed, and she found herself mourning both it and her lost innocence.

Come the fall she’d be starting college, a young woman on the verge of adulthood, but a tiny part of her heart would remain in the library, where she’d learned so much.

The End


	9. To Lean On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After her mother’s death, Buffy needs someone she can lean on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 17: Come, my heart, that I may speak to you at drabblesoup.
> 
> **Setting:** Season Five: Forever.

Buffy called him, not sure if she should, and yet… who else could she confide in? Her friends were doing everything they could to help with all the minutiae, there was so much involved in planning a funeral, but they were grieving too, in their own ways, and Buffy needed someone to be strong, just for her. She only knew one person who could do that.

He didn’t let her down.

Angel came, as she’d known he would, and she poured out all her doubts and fears, leaned on him as he held her, and drew strength from his love.

The End


	10. Scent Of A Slayer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angel will always find Buffy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for leni_ba’s prompt ‘Buffyverse (BtVS and/or AtS). any & any. tracking,’ at comment_fic.
> 
> Set somewhere in season one.

Angel didn’t need to lurk outside Buffy’s house, waiting for her to leave on patrol, but sometimes he did it anyway, following discreetly, watching over her. She was the Slayer, she didn’t really need him to play guardian Angel, but it made him feel better to keep an eye on her, just in case she got into difficulties.

Even when he didn’t lurk, finding Buffy was simplicity itself for a vampire. He could track her with his eyes closed, just by following her scent. No matter where she went or what she did, he would always be able find her.

The End


	11. A Place To Belong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Willow has long been used to not fitting in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 2: Belong at sunnydalescribe.
> 
> Triple Drabble.

Willow had never really fitted in at school, looked down on by the cool kids, only sought out when someone needed help with their homework. She wasn’t completely without friends, she had Xander, who’d been her bestest bud for as long as she could remember, and she got along with Xander’s friend Jesse, but aside from them, she’d grown used to being mostly shunned by her peers.

She wasn’t like them; she was too nerdy, too interested in computers and science and actually learning stuff. She liked school, and reading, and doing homework, and those kids who didn’t make fun of her for her unfashionable clothes called her Teacher’s Pet. They pushed her around, pulled her hair, stole her books, but she endured the taunting and everything else with a kind of fatalism; she had no choice but to put up with it if she wanted to get a good education, but it was demoralising.

Then Buffy came along. Pretty, fashionable, Buffy, the sort of girl who was bound to be immediately accepted into the ranks of the popular girls, but instead she chose to hang out with Willow and Xander, unintentionally pulling them both into a world neither of them had ever imagined existed. It was terrifying, and it was dangerous, but it was also exciting and challenging. More than that, Willow discovered a sense of purpose. She could make a difference, use her knowledge of computers and her research abilities to help battle demons and save lives. It made her stand a little taller, hold her head a little higher.

She was needed, part of something important, even if few people would ever be aware of the battle against evil she and her friends were involved in. With Buffy, Giles, and Xander, she’d found the place she belonged

The End


	12. The Right Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Giving up mortality and his chance of true happiness hurts, but Angel will always remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 19: Forever And A Day at drabblesoup.
> 
> **Spoilers:** Angel episode I Will Remember You.

Being alive after centuries as a vampire is indescribable. Everything is more intense; the world has never looked more dazzling, food tastes incredible, and Buffy… Angel just wants to look at her, touch her, kiss her, taste her, love her and never stop. They can be together now, have everything they’ve ever wanted from each other. It’s beyond perfect, and yet…

Without his vamp strength he can get hurt, and he doesn’t want Buffy having to worry about protecting him.

Giving up mortality again is the right thing to do; Buffy won’t remember, but Angel will, for eternity, and beyond.

The End


	13. Appreciated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buffy is glad that she went to her senior prom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 3: Applaud at sunnydalescribe.
> 
> **Spoilers:** The Prom.
> 
> Triple drabble.

The senior prom should have been one of the best evenings of Buffy’s life. She’d been so looking forward to wearing a beautiful dress, dancing with her handsome boyfriend, and having that one magical night all teenage girls dreamed of. 

But then Angel had dropped the bombshell; he was leaving Sunnydale, breaking up with her and going… somewhere else. He didn’t know where, just somewhere away from her, because he’d decided they shouldn’t be together anymore. It didn’t matter what she wanted, he hadn’t even bothered to ask her. Couldn’t he at least have waited until after the prom? Did she matter so little to him?

Deep down she knew she was being unfair, Angel was just trying to do the right thing, but it still hurt, so much so Buffy almost didn’t bother attending the prom at all. What was the point of going without a date? But she already had the dress, it would have been a shame not to wear it, and anyway even though she’d dealt with all the hellhounds she figured she should probably stick around just to make sure nothing else bad happened. She had a responsibility to make sure everything went off without a hitch, didn’t she? That was her role in life and she accepted it. Normality had never been on the cards, not for her.

Being the slayer meant putting her life on the line with never a thought of thanks or recognition, but as Jonathan made his speech and she walked up onto the stage amid tumultuous applause to accept the Class Protector award… 

Nobody really talked about Sunnydale’s weirdness, but it hadn’t gone unnoticed, and neither had she. It warmed her heart to know that everything she’d done over the past three years was appreciated.

Sometimes people surprised you.

The End


	14. Popular

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cordelia doesn’t always enjoy being miss popularity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 4: Cattle at sunnydalescribe.
> 
> **Setting:** Season One.
> 
> Double Drabble.

Cordelia is wealthy, privileged, popular, and she enjoys being the centre of attention. The other girls cluster around her, hanging on her every word, hoping a little of her popularity will rub off on them, vainly imagining they can be anything like her. But really, who are they kidding?

They’re like cattle, or sheep. They have no opinions of their own; they follow the herd, which in turn means following her example. They like what she likes, whether that’s music, fashion, or boys. She’s the trendsetter and they’re a bunch of wannabes…

She spends all her time working hard to impress them, and what for? So they can copy her outfits, do their makeup and hair the way she does, make cow eyes at the boys she’s interested in? Each and every one of them would stab her in the back given half a chance. She can’t let any of them get too close.

They listen to her but they don’t hear, too busy agreeing with everything she says. It’s exhausting being the swan to their ugly ducklings, but at least surrounded by them she feels less alone.

Sometimes she wonders what it would be like to have real friends.

The End


	15. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tara learns the true meaning of family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written For: Challenge 22: The Ties That Bind at drabblesoup.
> 
> **Spoilers:** Just after Family.
> 
> Triple Drabble. For Boris Yeltsin on ff.net.

The ties that bind a family together can be complicated, and they’re not always based on love. After years of being told that she’s a demon Tara’s having to accept that her dad and brother lied to her, all because they wanted her to stay home and take care of them, do the cooking and the cleaning. That’s not love; it’s slavery. That’s what Willow tells her anyway.

Tara has never felt anything like the acceptance she’s found with Willow. She’s always associated family with duty and obedience on her part, tolerance on theirs, rather than love and respect. Her world has been turned upside down and it’s a bit confusing, but not really in a bad way. She doesn’t need to be afraid of herself anymore; her demon side was never anything more than a cruel fantasy created to keep her in line, there was never any truth in it.

Willow says Dad and Donny don’t deserve her and that Tara doesn’t owe them anything except her contempt, but it’s not easy letting go of the past. She’d thought she’d left it all behind by coming to college in Sunnydale, but they followed, intending to take her back with them.

“They have no right to call themselves your family. Everything they did and said was out of selfishness, and that’s not what family is about. Just because you’re related to them doesn’t mean they own you. You don’t belong to anyone but yourself!”

“That’s not true,” Tara tells her, smiling shyly. “I belong to you. Everything I am is yours.”

Family isn’t always about blood relationships; it’s about being there for each other, caring and sharing and supporting, no matter what. It’s about love, and trust, and believing in each other. 

Willow and her friends are Tara’s family now.

The End


	16. Remembering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angel returns from the Hell dimension.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for: Challenge 3: I Remember Now at drabblesoup.
> 
> **Spoilers:** Beauty and the Beasts.

The torments last for eternity, perhaps longer; time has no meaning in this place, there’s only the suffering he deserves.

When everything changes in a burst of light he doesn’t know why, just that he’s no longer in the midst of heat and flames, but somewhere cold and dark. He almost feels he should recognise it, but doesn’t. Is this some new kind of torment, the next stage of his punishment?

He hunts for food, is captured and chained. His captor, a girl, seems familiar but memory escapes him until danger threatens. He’s compelled to help her…

…and remembers.

“Buffy.”

The End


	17. Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oz is going through some unexpected changes…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 5: Confine at sunnydalescribe.
> 
> **Spoilers:** Phases.
> 
> Double drabble.

Thanks to his little cousin Jordy, Oz is going through some changes. It’s… confusing, and a little worrying, ‘cause a girl is dead and aside from waking up in the woods naked, he doesn’t remember a thing from last night. Did he kill her and just not remember?

If he did then the best thing he can do is make sure he can’t harm anyone else come moonrise tonight. He’ll chain himself up before he changes, lock himself in the basement… problem solved. 

It’s a solid plan of action, he’s sure it would’ve worked, only Willow picks a seriously bad time to be assertive and demand an explanation for his recent odd behaviour, and Oz would really rather she not know what he’s becoming. Not that he gets any choice in the matter; the moon rises and he transforms; after that everything’s a blank until the moon sets again and he finds himself… confined, in the school library’s book cage. Naked of course.

He shrugs; it’s more or less what he’d planned even if the venue isn’t the one he would’ve chosen. With luck it means he didn’t hurt anyone while he wasn’t himself.

Could’ve been worse. He can deal.

The End


	18. Betrayed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buffy had thought things were looking up…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 24: In The Woods at drabblesoup.
> 
> **Spoilers:** Into The Woods.

Everything should’ve been looking up; the bad stuff over and done. Buffy’s mom had come through her surgery well; she was recovering, and the doctor had sounded optimistic.

Life should’ve been returning to normal, slaying, college, boyfriend… She’d trusted Riley, completely, and all this time he’d been… What? Cheating on her? Yes, because paying vampires to bite him and suck his blood was a betrayal. He was going to the monsters she was sworn to kill to get something he apparently couldn’t get from her.

She’d thought she was out of the woods, never realising just how deep they were.

The End


	19. Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xander has learned a few unexpected things about himself since meeting Buffy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 6: Deep at sunnydalescribe.
> 
> **Setting:** Towards the end of Season One.

Xander has never been one of the world’s deep thinkers. He’s not shallow, by any means; he’s sincere and fiercely loyal in his friendships, would do anything to help the people who mean the most to him, but he’s far from perfect. He’s human and he makes mistakes, although he always tries to do the right thing. As long as it doesn’t mean getting the crap beaten out of him. 

He must have been at the end of the line when they were handing out smarts though; unlike his best bud Willow, nobody could ever accuse him of being a brainiac. If he manages to graduate high school it’ll be down to Will’s efforts at explaining the things he struggles to understand, especially math. He’s doing his best not to think about that for the moment; graduation is still some way off, and other things are taking precedence. 

His whole world has been turned upside down, and all it took was the arrival of a new girl at school. Buffy would be amazing even if she were just an ordinary, very pretty teenage girl, but she’s so much more than that. She’s the Slayer; it’s her job, her destiny, to fight vampires and demons, stop the spread of their evil.

Vampires! Not characters out of horror movies but the real blood-sucking deal! They terrify him to the depths of his soul, but they’ve taught him something too. Coward he may be, but deep inside, he’s found reserves of courage and determination he never knew he had. Maybe part of it is his desire to impress Buffy, but it’s also that she inspires him to be the best he can be. He was leading a perfectly ordinary, mostly boring life until she came along, and now… 

He’s never felt more alive.

The End


	20. The Key

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dawn doesn’t know what to think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 7: Masquerade at sunnydalescribe.
> 
> **Spoilers:** Blood Ties.

Dawn’s whole existence has been turned upside since learning she’s not real. All her life, all her memories, none of it ever happened, except for the very recent stuff. Before that… she’s not sure what she was. The Key; what does that even mean? The key to what?

It’s confusing and scary, she feels adrift, without an anchor. It’s not like she was deliberately misleading anyone, playing out some kind of elaborate masquerade for purposes of her own. She has no idea what’s going on except that she was put here so Buffy would keep her safe.

But from who?

The End


	21. Not Like Them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being with Buffy makes Angel almost feel human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 30: Almost Human at drabblesoup.
> 
> **Setting:** Season One or early Season Two.

When he’s alone with Buffy, or when they’re hanging out with all her friends, for the first time since he regained his soul Angel feels like he belongs. He’s part of something good after being out in the cold, isolated and alone for so long.

Sometimes he almost forgets that he’s not like them, not a living, breathing human being. He’s a monster, a demon in a stolen body, it’s just that in his case the body’s previous owner is also in residence. Does that make him half human, or half demon? 

It hardly matters; he’s still just as dead.

The End


	22. Independence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faith tries to convince herself that she’s better off on her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 8: Charity at sunnydalescribe.
> 
> **Setting:** Towards the end of Season Three.
> 
> Double Drabble.

Faith was nobody’s charity case. She was the Slayer, she could take care of herself; she didn’t need anyone else. So what that she’d lost her watcher? What do it matter? She knew her job. Watchers just got in the way, or got themselves killed. Better not to be responsible for anyone else’s safety. With only herself to take care of, only her own wits to rely on, Faith could go anywhere and do anything. She’d never been big on all the rules anyway.

Footloose and fancy free, that was the way to be. Not like Buffy, trying to juggle school and homework, a home life, friendships, and training on top of the actual slaying. What was the point of all that baggage? Faith’s way was simpler, better; she had the kind of freedom Buffy could only dream of.

If Buffy wanted to be the goody two shoes, toe the line and let herself be walked all over, that was her choice, but nobody pushed Faith around, not anymore. She’d take whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted it; clothes, weapons, men… no one could stop her, and if they had any sense they wouldn’t even try.

She’d show them all!

The End


	23. Seize The Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Willow takes Buffy’s advice to seize the moment, she lives to regret it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 9: Forward at sunnydalescribe.
> 
> **Spoilers:** Welcome to the Hellmouth.
> 
> Quadruple Drabble.

Willow is sure she could never be as confident as Buffy. Her new friend isn’t afraid of anything; she can actually talk to boys without stuttering or going bright red. Willow can talk to Xander and Jesse, but they don’t really count as boys because she’s known them so long; they’re her friends. Yes, there’s that whole crush thing she has on Xander, but he doesn’t know about it so that takes the pressure off. 

If there was ever any boy/girl thing between them she probably wouldn’t be any better at speaking to Xander than she is with any other boy she likes. Just the thought of telling her best friend how she feels about him makes her want to curl up in a corner and hide. From what she’s seen, boys are looking for a bit more than that in potential girlfriends. She’s obviously doomed to lovelessness.

But then Buffy tells Willow her philosophy. “Seize the moment, ‘cause tomorrow you might be dead.”

It strikes Willow as good advice because it’s true; you never know what tomorrow might bring and waiting too long might mean you miss out on all the good things in life.

Screwing up every ounce of courage she has, Willow looks around and picks a boy; he’s nice looking, and he doesn’t seem to be with anyone, which is good because it would be so awkward if he had a girlfriend already. Heart pounding so loudly she’s sure everyone must be able to hear it, even over the loud music, Willow takes a deep breath and, trying to still her trembling hands, goes over to talk to him; she can scarcely believe she’s being so forward!

And he doesn’t laugh at her, he doesn’t brush her off; they dance and he asks if she’d like to go to the ice cream parlour with him. That will mean it’s just the two of them, but she says yes anyway. What has she got to lose?

Everything, it turns out, including her life. Why is it the first boy she’s ever got up the nerve to talk to turns out to be a vampire after her blood? Is the universe trying to tell her something? It sure looks that way, probably safer to swear off boys for good.

Suddenly, ending up an old maid with nothing but a bunch of cats for company doesn’t sound so bad. 

The End


	24. A Simple Spell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Willow doesn’t see anything wrong with making Tara forget their fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 22: Forgotten at drabblesoup.
> 
> **Spoilers:** Season Six: All The Way.

It’s a simple spell, Willow tells herself, not big magic, and the flower is… Well, if Tara finds it there’s nothing significant about it, just a sprig of dried herb. No big deal. She can’t stand Tara being mad at her, doesn’t want to fight, wants everything to go back to normal. What’s so bad about that?

So a little forgetfulness spell, that’s all. As far as Tara is concerned, the fight never happened. It’s for the best; there’s so much else going on, there always is. Besides, Tara’s just overreacting. She’s not really using magic too much.

Is she?

The End


	25. Christmas Eve Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Christmas Eve and while everyone else is having fun, Buffy is patrolling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 10: Mistletoe at sunnydalescribe.
> 
> **Setting:** First half of Season Two.
> 
> Quadruple drabble.

Patrol didn’t stop for the holidays; vamps weren’t exactly religious so the only reason Christmas might feature high on their calendars was as a suitable occasion for a mass slaughter. Being demons, they relished committing atrocities on holy days, proving how evil they were, thumbing their noses at the forces of good.

So here Buffy was, on Christmas Eve, doing the rounds of the local graveyards to make sure none of the undead were rising. Fun, fun, fun.

Not.

She should be hanging out with her friends, or at home drinking hot cocoa with her mom, or maybe even out on a date. The kinds of things normal teenage girls got to do, girls who weren’t the Slayer.

Duty first, that was the story of her life. Slaying came before friends, before family, before schoolwork, revision, exams… Having any kind of personal life was at the very bottom of a Slayer’s list of priorities, squeezed into whatever small amount of time could be spared from patrolling and training and research.

Was she bitter about having no life?

Hell yes, but it didn’t change anything, just made her feel worse.

“Thought I might find you here.”

Buffy whirled, instinctively raising the stake gripped in her hand, only to relax as her brain caught up with her Slayer reflexes. “Angel! Don’t sneak up on me like that! I might’ve dusted you!”

Angel raised his hands in surrender. “Sorry, I wasn’t trying to be quiet, I thought you would’ve heard me.”

“Yeah, I was… thinking.” Buffy smiled sheepishly.

“What about?”

“Oh, about how my life sucks. Everyone but me is out enjoying Christmas Eve and here I am in a graveyard.”

“Not where you want to be.”

“No. Although, things did just get about a hundred percent better.”

“Really?” Angel’s eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled like that, setting butterflies fluttering in Buffy’s stomach. “Why might that be?” There was a teasing note to his voice.

“You know.” She started towards him but he held up one hand to stop her.

“Don’t move, stay right where you are.”

“Why?” Buffy looked around herself. “Is there something…?”

Angel crossed the distance between them in a few strides, pulling her close and kissing her, slow and lingering, making her toes curl.

“Wow!”

Pointing overhead, Angel grinned. “Mistletoe. I couldn’t resist.”

Buffy grinned back. “Mistletoe, huh? Guess we’d better make the most of it.”

The End


	26. Setting The Mood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angel prepares to spend an evening in with Buffy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 11: Candlestick at sunnydalescribe.
> 
> **Setting:** Second half of Season Three.
> 
> Quadruple Drabble.

Everything’s electric these days, there’s power to every home and business, enough to provide light and heat, and everything else people living in a civilised country expect. Refrigeration is useful for storing blood, and the microwave makes warming it to a more palatable temperature simplicity itself. Angel’s grateful for washing machines too; vampires don’t sweat but their clothes still get dirty and doing laundry by hand is a pain.

Before he’d regained his soul, Angel would have simply stolen whatever clothing caught his eye and discarded his bloodstained and mud-splattered garments, but his conscience will no longer permit that, and he can’t exactly get a job to pay for the things he needs.

On the whole, he likes the convenience of electricity, but he finds the illumination provided by electric lights harsh and unforgiving, making the pallor of his skin stand out. Candlelight is so much gentler, imparting a warm glow to everything it touches. More romantic too, although until Buffy came into his life, creating a romantic ambience in whatever place he called home really hadn’t been high on his list of priorities.

That was then and this is now. Lighting a taper at the fire, Angel sets the flame first to the candles in the matching pair of candlesticks at each end of the mantelpiece and then to the ones in the candelabra that stands on the massive antique sideboard. The flickering flames of the candles and the fire make the area around the fireplace an intimate, cosy haven and he wonders briefly if it’s too much. Intimacy between himself and Buffy is out of the question now, but she deserves what romance he can give her, even if it’s just mood lighting and a bit of warmth on a chilly evening.

They’ll sit together and talk, about Buffy’s day, her friends, her classes. Maybe they’ll train together; Angel is almost back to full strength now, and there’s still a lot he can teach the Slayer. Whatever advantages against demons and other vampires he can give her, he will, whether that be knowledge or fighting techniques. Anything that might help keep her alive in a world where so many monsters are out to kill her.

But most of all, he wants to give her someone she can talk to about anything, knowing she’ll be heard and not judged. He can do that much for her, if nothing else.

The End


	27. Love Hurts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being in love is wonderful, but it can also be painful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 27: Heaven Or Hell at drabblesoup.
> 
> **Setting:** Somewhere in Season Three.

Loving Buffy is heaven, the sweetest of all emotions. She’s so young, so vibrantly alive, that it almost makes his heart ache to look at her, and if it were still beating it would pound out the rhythm of her name all day long. 

The scent of her, the sound of her voice, the touch of her hand, so small and deceptively fragile… everything about her gives new meaning and purpose to his existence after decades of emptiness.

But loving her is hell too; it hurts, because however much he longs to be with her, his curse makes it impossible.

The End


	28. New Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After getting kicked out of her old school in L.A., Buffy is facing a new start in a new town. How bad can it be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Spoilers:** Welcome To The Hellmouth.

New town, new home, new school, but the same old Buffy. This is supposed to be a whole new start for her, but how can it be when she’s still bound by her duty as the Slayer? The one girl in all the world…

Put simply, it sucks. She wishes she could be the girl she was before she found out vampires were real, but that girl doesn’t exist anymore. Buffy sometimes wonders if she ever did, or if that part of her life was a dream she once had.

Still, what could possibly happen in a town called Sunnydale?

The End


	29. Owning Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Angel’s told Joyce about their night together, Buffy will have to admit she slept with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written using the dw100 prompt Confessions.
> 
> Setting: Passion.
> 
> Triple drabble.

Confessing to her mother that she had sex with a boy is one of the hardest things Buffy’s ever had to do. Maybe she could have tried lying about it, told her mom that Angel was delusional, that she’d said no and this was his idea of payback, but she can’t bring herself to add more lies. Her relationship with her mom is on shaky enough ground as it is, what with having to hide that she’s the Slayer and that vampires and demons exist. The last thing she needs is to make things worse.

If what Angelus told her mom hasn’t done that already.

The worst part is seeing the disappointment in her mom’s face. It’s a look Buffy’s already seen far too many times, when she’s been in trouble at school for fighting or cutting classes, and it cuts like a knife. Sometimes Buffy wishes she didn’t have to hide anything, could just be completely honest, but if she tried that her mom would probably think she’d lost her mind. In her darkest moments Buffy wonders if maybe she has, and all she thinks is real is just some weird delusion. Would that be better or worse? She doesn’t know.

Her life feels real though, and she has to act as if it is, so she answers all her mom’s questions, tries to explain without giving away how much older than her Angel really is.

“He wasn’t like this before.” And isn’t that the understatement to end them all? Angel, her Angel, was good, kind, and gentle. What he’s become without his soul is anything but.

She’s made one of the biggest mistakes of her life. It’s easy to say she hadn’t known what the consequences would be, but what difference does that make now?

None at all.

The End


	30. In Vain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buffy goes to meet the Master and fulfil the prophecy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge: 124: Deep Down at drabble_weekly.
> 
> **Setting:** Prophecy Girl.
> 
> Double drabble.

Buffy thinks for a while about running away. If she isn’t here to face the Master then the prophecy can’t happen, right? She’ll get to live, for a while longer anyway.

But that’s not how things work. She’s the Slayer; nobody else can take her place in this, not even Giles, no matter how badly he might want to spare her. She doesn’t want to die, but she can’t risk the Master getting loose; if he does it will literally mean the end of the world. What’s her life compared to that? If she dies another Slayer will take her place, protecting the world from demons and vampires.

So she goes out into the night, finds the boy, lets him lead her down beneath Sunnydale, deeper and deeper underground, to where the Master waits for her, trapped in the ruins of an old church, buried during a long ago earthquake.

He’s ugly, but she knew that already; she’s seen his face in countless nightmares. He’s scary, but he’s the oldest vampire she’s ever faced so that’s a given. He’s gloating, and that’s the worst part, because her death will free him.

This was all in vain. She shouldn’t have come.

The End


	31. Day And Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Normal girl by day, Slayer by night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 40: Sundown at drabblesoup.
> 
> **Setting:** Somewhere in the first three seasons.

Other demon species are less picky, but vamps seldom venture outside before sundown. Sunburn isn’t just a minor inconvenience for them; it’s literal, flames and everything. Overcast days they can sometimes get away with it if they stick to the shadows, but this is California; most days sunshine’s kind of a given.

Still, vampires outnumber the other demons, so during daylight Buffy can sometimes feel almost like a regular teen, with the usual teen problems of grades, homework, boys, and fitting in.

But once the sun sets her life veers into the Twilight Zone where normality is a distant dream.

The End


	32. Unconditional

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buffy and Angel are from two different worlds, but that doesn’t change the way they feel about each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 126: Just The Way You Are at drabble_weekly.
> 
> b>Setting: Early Season 2.
> 
> Double drabble.

Buffy is a human teenager, and the Slayer no less, while Angel is a centuries old vampire, so their relationship isn’t exactly normal to begin with. Even without taking the unnaturally wide age gap between them into account they should be mortal enemies, each of them seeking to kill the other.

But Angel isn’t your everyday vampire; in fact he’s unique among bloodsuckers in that he’s been cursed with the restoration of his human soul. It doesn’t make him any less a vampire, he’s still one of the undead, a very well preserved human corpse inhabited by a demon, but his soul is in control; he’s prey to all the finer human emotions: Grief, shame, guilt, pity, regret, empathy, and above all, love.

Being the Slayer, Buffy isn’t your average teen either; she’s had to grow up far faster than any of her peers. She understands exactly what Angel is, knows his history, and yet none of it matters to her because she can see past what he once was to the man he is now, just as he sees past the Slayer to the girl.

She wishes he could be fully human, but loves him just as he is.

The End


	33. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is one secret Buffy can’t even share with the people she trusts the most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 42: It's A Secret at drabblesoup.
> 
> **Setting:** Homecoming.

Buffy’s become adept at keeping secrets, but this one’s a biggie, something she has to hide even from her best and closest friends. They wouldn’t understand.

She and Angel are over, but she can’t simply abandon him. He needs her; he’s still too weak to fend for himself, and anyway, it’s her fault he’s the way he is. Her fault he lost his soul, her fault he spent an eternity being tortured in a hell dimension. She owes him; she can’t betray him. If anyone knew he was back, they’d kill him; she can’t allow that.

She still loves him.

The End


	34. Regrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To her bewilderment, the day after their night together, Angel has turned cold and unkind towards Buffy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 2: Cruel at doubledrabbles.
> 
> **Spoilers:** Surprise / Innocence.
> 
> Double drabble.

Literally overnight, from being so tender and loving Angel had turned hard and cruel, taunting Buffy. She’d expected to wake up in his arms, or at least beside him, after their night together but instead she’d woken to a cold and empty bed, and when Angel had finally returned, he was… changed.

Buffy couldn’t understand why he was being so mean, she even asked him outright if she’d done something wrong, if she hadn’t been good enough, and he’d laughed.

“You were great. Really. I thought you were a pro.”

His words cut like a knife, and then he was gone, leaving her heartbroken and confused.

It took him targeting her friends, threatening their lives, for Buffy to accept that the Angel she knew was gone. So was the soul that had changed him from one of the most vicious vampires the world had ever known to someone filled with remorse, and desperate to make amends for his past acts of brutality.

The gypsies’ curse had been designed to make him suffer, and it had until Buffy had come along and made him truly happy. Now the whole of Sunnydale would suffer, all because two people had fallen in love.

The End


	35. Beyond Price

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since being cursed, Angel has gained something worth more to him than any amount of riches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 45: That Precious Thing at drabblesoup.
> 
> **Setting:** Pre-Series.

When he’d first been turned, Angel had revelled in the freedom, taking whatever he wanted, whether it be fancy clothes, jewellery, money, or the lifeblood of his human victims. He’d found it a heady experience, wanting for nothing, and had delighted in tormenting his victims by taking whatever was most precious to them; their wealth, their wives, their children, their sanity…

Then the gypsies cursed him and he’d realised all he’d had as a vampire had been worthless; none of it had mattered. How could any amount of wealth and finery compare to that most precious thing, his human soul?

The End


	36. Never Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buffy’s life is an endless round of duties and responsibilities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 46: Round And Round at drabblesoup.
> 
> **Setting:** Season One.
> 
> Double drabble.

Life is pulling Buffy in all directions and it never ends; every day is the same. Up in the morning and off to school, training with Giles during free periods and at the end of the school day, then home and a mad rush to get homework done and have something to eat before heading out on patrol. If she’s lucky she might be able to spare enough time to stop by The Bronze and hang out with her friends for a bit, but she’s just as likely to be too busy battling vampires or demons to put in an appearance.

She trails home in the early hours, long after her mom thinks she’s in bed asleep, sneaks in the window and falls into bed for a few short hours’ rest, only to get up the next day and do it all again. This is what her life has become, round and around, like she’s trapped on a carousel that never stops.

The weekends are no better; there’s still homework to do, more training, and vamps work seven days a week so she has to do the same. Who does she need to talk to about getting a day off?

The End


	37. Working Conditions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are a lot of downsides to being the Slayer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 5: Union at tripledrabbles.
> 
> **Setting:** Late in Season One.
> 
> Triple drabble.

“There should be a Slayer’s union,” Buffy grumbled, fingering a rip in her top. “Somewhere I could complain to about the long hours, poor working conditions, and lack of pay. Look at this; another outfit ruined, and do I get compensation to buy a replacement? No! Instead I get to listen to another lecture from my mother about being careless with my clothes. I just dealt with a nest of nasty demons, and what do I get for it? Nada!”

“You get the satisfaction of a job well done,” Giles said primly, his expression disapproving.

“Satisfaction doesn’t make up for the damage to my wardrobe, or the fact that once again I had to turn down a potential date. Do you know how many boys have asked me out since I moved to Sunnydale? Two! I almost got the first one killed, and now I had to tell this one I couldn’t go out with him because I was busy! I can forget about him ever asking me out again. If there was a union I could strike for shorter hours and a clothes allowance!”

“I hardly think a union of one would work, Buffy. You are the Slayer, singular.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know the spiel by heart, only one in all the world, yada yada. There’s an idea; there should be more of us, one in every city with a major vampire presence. No, make that two, then we could take turns being on duty and team up for anything big.”

“There’s only ever one Slayer at a time, Buffy; that’s the way it’s always been. For a new Slayer to be called…”

“I would have to die, I know; for the record, it sucks. How am I gonna explain my top?”

Giles sighed. “I’ll buy you a replacement.”

The End


	38. Rescue Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So much for Sunnydale being a quiet place to live…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Setting:** The Harvest.

The Harvest is coming, that’s what mister tall, dark, and annoying told her. So far that’s all Buffy knows. It’s not enough, but Giles is busy researching, and Buffy has a potential friend to rescue. 

She’s barely spoken to Jesse. It doesn’t matter though; he seems nice, and she’s not about to just leave him to his fate. If it’s not already too late.

The mausoleum looks less creepy by daylight, and somehow she’s not surprised when cryptic guy appears with more helpfully vague information. What is it with him?

Maybe she’ll figure him out someday. Just not right now.

The End


	39. Not Related

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth about Dawn’s origins doesn’t change the fact that she’s Buffy’s sister in every way that matters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 011: Unrelated at doubledrabbles.
> 
> **Setting:** No Place Like Home and after.
> 
> Double drabble. 200 words first try.

It’s weird for Buffy to realise she and Dawn aren’t actually related, even though she has clear memories of growing up with a younger sister. All those memories are false, constructs created by whoever it was disguised the Key as a young girl.

Dawn was never born, never a baby, never the nuisance sister Buffy recalls taking her stuff without asking and being a pain, at least not until recently.

It’s even weirder to realise that she’s not the only one to have her memories tampered with. Giles and all her friends have been just as convinced about Buffy having a younger sister, and until the brain tumour started affecting her, Buffy’s mom believed it too.

Maybe it doesn’t matter that Dawn isn’t really her sister, because even if she wasn’t human before, she is now. She’s just a kid, scared, confused, and in danger from… something, or someone; Buffy’s not sure what yet. But she is sure of one thing; Dawn needs her protection, she has to be kept safe.

Dawn’s still a pain and a nuisances, still snoops around in Buffy’s stuff, but who cares that they’re not related? Buffy loves her as the sister she’s never had.

The End


	40. Bored

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buffy isn’t exactly cut out for doing research.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 7: Terminal at tripledrabbles.
> 
> **Setting:** Season Two.
> 
> Triple drabble.

Buffy slumped at the library’s table and tried her best not to yawn, but she was fighting a losing battle. She knew researching the latest Big Bad to visit Sunnydale was important, that the more she knew about what she’d be facing the better it would be for everyone concerned, but books weren’t really her thing, and the ancient volumes in Giles’ extensive collection were an acquired taste at the best of times, their contents as dry and dusty as their covers. 

She just wanted up and at whatever was coming, preferably while she was still capable of moving; she was action girl, not research girl, although right now she felt more like dying of terminal boredom girl. Death by research; what an uninspiring way to go.

Her mind wandered to the previous night’s patrol, and to Angel, wondering what he was doing right now, and if he was thinking of her.

She idly turned the page of the book in front if her, not registering anything that was written on it. Her eyes had zoned out some time ago, losing focus, and honestly, if something didn’t happen soon she was gonna fall asleep right here, her face mashed against the pages, and probably drooling. Giles wouldn’t be happy if she made the ink go all smeary and illegible.

“Aha!” 

Willow’s cry of triumph was so loud and unexpected that Buffy jerked upright and almost fell off her chair.

“What is it, Will, did you find something?”

“I’m not sure, I think so.”

“Let me see.” Giles was at Willow’s shoulder in seconds, leaning over to read what she’d found. “Ah, yes; excellent work, Willow. This could be just what Buffy needs.”

Buffy grinned savagely; finally, time to go to work. This demon wasn’t going to know what hit it!

The End


	41. Like Sunlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buffy is like a splash of sunlight in Angel’s dark existence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 9: Fragrant at sesquidrabbles.
> 
> **Setting:** Early Season Two.
> 
> Drabble and a half, 150 words.

Angel loves Buffy’s hair; it’s golden like he imagines the sunlight on fields of ripe corn would be, or a beach on a summer’s day. Being a vampire he can’t tolerate sunlight, he’s a creature of the night, destined to skulk in the shadows, but every time he sees her, Buffy’s bright hair brings a splash of sunlight into his undead existence, and it fills him with a sense almost of euphoria.

Her hair smells as wonderful as it looks. When he holds her close he can’t help burying his nose in it, breathing in the fragrance of her shampoo; she smells of apples, and vanilla, and the subtle floral scent she favours. Being near her fills all his enhanced vampire senses, to the point where he feels he could happily drown in her forever.

Surely this must be what real love feels like; he can’t imagine existing without her.

The End


	42. Giles’ Collection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reference section of Sunnydale High’s library is a bit out of the ordinary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 014: Reference at doubledrabbles.
> 
> Double drabble. 200 words first try.

For a school library, the one at Sunnydale high has a rather… unusual reference section. Oh, it has all the usual kinds of books, history, geography, science, math, dictionaries and thesauri, copies of all the standard textbooks students are supposed to read. There are sections devoted to poetry, great works of literature, novels in a wide range of genres, even books on music and art.

Unlike most high school libraries, however, Sunnydale has a remarkable collection of books on the occult and mythology. Vampires, demons, incubi, succubi, werewolves, witches, and everything related to them. Some of the books are the standard kind available in mainstream bookshops; there’s even the complete Time Life collection on the paranormal. Others are incredibly old, books of lore and prophecy, many handwritten centuries ago. They range from the lurid and fantastical, to the dry and academical, and cover just about everything a student of the paranormal could ever want to know on the subject.

Giles knows the contents of many of the books almost off by heart, which shouldn’t be surprising; the collection is his after all. But despite its comprehensiveness, it’s by no means complete; it’s what he doesn’t have that worries him most.

The End


	43. The Presentation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Giles has information for Buffy and her friends on the latest menace threatening Sunnydale, so he calls a somewhat unorthodox meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 8: Conference at doubledrabbles.
> 
> **Spoilers:** Hush.
> 
> Double drabble.

With the entire town rendered speechless by demonic entities, Giles gathers Buffy and the Scoobies for a conference of sorts in one of the university’s lecture halls, which happens to have a very useful overhead projector. They might as well make use of the available facilities since lectures, along with everything else not considered essential, have been cancelled until further notice. 

It’s a peculiar strategy meeting, with communication limited to writing, drawing pictures, several dubious attempts at mime, and some hit and miss lip-reading, but under current circumstances they must use whatever tools they have at their disposal. Hence the projector.

Giles is quite proud of the presentation he’s created from what he’s learned; he worked hard on the transparencies, even including illustrations. Not much more than stick figures it’s true, he’s nowhere near as talented an artist as Olivia is, but the drawings don’t need to be elaborate; they get the necessary information across quite effectively, if he says so himself.

Meeting over, he assigns duties; Buffy will patrol as usual, try to keep the Gentlemen from acquiring any more hearts, while the rest of them continue with research. There must be some way to get their voices back.

The End


	44. Breath Of Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 010: Life-Giving at doubledrabbles.
> 
> **Setting:** Prophecy Girl.
> 
> Double drabble.

Angel’s unbeating heart sinks as he and Xander drag Buffy out of the shallow pool. She’s so still and pale, her golden hair limp and bedraggled; he doesn’t need to check her to know she isn’t breathing, that her heart is as still as his own. Buffy is dead.

They were too slow getting down here, and if Xander hadn’t shamed him into it Angel knows he wouldn’t be here at all, but even though he is here, there’s still nothing he can do to help the girl he loves. He’s a vampire, an animated corpse; no heartbeat, no blood circulation, and most importantly, no breath.

It’s breath that Buffy needs, life-giving air forced into her lungs to bring her back. For Buffy’s sake Angel would fight any demon or monster that came along, but he can’t breathe for her. Xander can.

“You have to do it. I have no breath.” Never has he hated what he is more than at this moment, having to rely on Xander to save the life of the girl they both love. 

He can’t let jealousy get in the way; what matters is that Buffy gets another chance to live, by whatever means necessary.

The End


	45. Lifeless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes Buffy wishes she could find time to have a social life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 1: Sociable at tripledrabbles.
> 
> **Setting:** Season One.
> 
> Triple drabble.

There were times Buffy truly hated her life. She was sixteen, and while all the other kids her age had packed social calendars, dating, going to parties, and hanging out with friends at the mall, she was either knee-deep in school work, training with Giles, or on patrol. Sometimes she just got so tired of being told she had to be responsible. 

She got it, she did; being the Slayer and battling vampires and demons was important, but all her responsibilities left her no time for being sociable. No wonder she got treated like an outcast by most of her peers; they saw her as the weird girl, the one to be avoided, while her teachers saw her as a troublemaker. If they only knew how much trouble she was preventing… Not that she could tell them; they were better off not knowing, and they wouldn’t believe her anyway. They’d have her hauled away in a straitjacket.

Honestly, if it weren’t for Willow and Xander seeing past her surface weirdness she’d have no friends or social life at all. She loved her buds, was so grateful for the way they stood with her through everything, no matter how freaked out they got. 

There was Angel too, although he wasn’t exactly a friend. More of a tall, dark, brooding presence who showed up to issue dire warnings then vanished into the shadows again. She wished he’d hang around longer… Maybe there was potential there for more than friendship. She could wait while he made up his mind whether he was interested or not. It wasn’t like boys were lining up to date her; most of them gave her a wide berth, and at least she wouldn’t have to lie to him about her extracurricular activities.

Buffy sighed. “I have no life.”

The End


	46. Her Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buffy is about to make the ultimate sacrifice for her sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 3: Final Moments at sesquidrabbles.
> 
> **Setting:** The Gift.
> 
> Drabble and a half, 150 words.

In her final moments, Buffy understands the first slayer’s words: Death is your gift. It’s not the death she deals out to vampires and demons, that’s not what was meant, it’s her own death, and her gift to her sister; Buffy dies and Dawn lives, it really is that simple.

It no longer matters to her that Dawn was created rather than born, a mystical key transformed into a young girl, because Dawn is her sister in all the ways that matter and Buffy cannot let her go to her death. She’s so young, so innocent; she hasn’t had the chance to really live yet, while Buffy just feels old and jaded, weighed down by too much responsibility.

The portal that’s opening thanks to Dawn’s spilled blood can only be closed the same way, but Buffy’s blood is the same as Dawn’s…

And so she jumps.

It’s the only way.

The End


End file.
